The Tiny,Terrible & Triumphant Line Between BEFORE & AFTER. No Luck Required.

                                  

Living in Hawaii...growing up I despised my 'stocky' frame. Almost all of my friends were slender and I was jealous. It didn't help that our family celebrated with ice cream, numbed emotions with ice cream &   Though we ate healthy a lot of the time, preservative packed chemical and or sugar filled crap  was a "treat" when we would go to an event or party.  so much ugh! 

So basically, I grew up with the tension between being an active and salad-every night-eating- family with a major addiction to sugar. 

That meant that I worked out 6 times a week, but struggled with being 20 lbs overweight as a teen and young adult. I didn't like the way I looked and hated clothes shopping 

My family moved to Alaska and I came with them, where of course I brought all of my insecurities and self hatred with me! I slicked back my hair and knotted up in a bun because I hated how big and curly it was. I was seriously struggling with self hatred because I was practicing negative self talk daily, and like I have learned, you are what you repeatedly do! So I was a self hating girl who knew that she had the potential to have the fittest body she could possibly create but had no freaking idea how to get there! 

Standing in the left photo on a trip back to Hawaii, I knew I was strong and muscular but I also knew I had an issue with food. I finally did TWO things shortly after the left hand photo was taken that JOLTED me into making a change. I just COULDN'T handle the yo-yo up a couple pounds down a couple pounds, stressed out of my mind, depressed often and binging with food and Netflix cycle of living.

 So 1) I took a chance to challenge myself with that crazy Beachbody program called 'Insanity'. 

And 2) I chose to come face-to-face with the fact that I numbed negative emotions with food... I began dealing with those issues and using Beachbody's awesome meal plans as tools I started finding freedom to use food as fuel! 

I'm not perfect! By no means. And the little teeny line between the two photos at the top of this blog represents HEARTACHE, WORK, TEARS, STRUGGLE, INJURIES and the PAIN of PROGRESS & GROWTH. Days where I eat awesome, then days where I eat handfuls of chocolate, then get mad at myself and try to move on.

 I am NOT "lucky". I have worked my ass off to get to where I am at. I AM HAPPY. I am SUCCESSFUL. WHY!? 1) Because choose to believe that the pain of growth is far more rewarding than the pain of wallowing in fear, 'overweightness', bad health, weak body & most of all... The PAIN of growth far outweighs the immeasurable pain of knowing that you did not pursue becoming the best version of you.

 2) I am happy & successful because DAILY I practiced the actions that build success. I practice active gratitude, visualization, exercise, proper fueling my body with nutrition, reading personal development and growth books and choosing to LOVE and GIVE even when I don't feel like it. You practice the following daily, consistently over a long period of time and there is no single way you cannot feel successful! Happy people are not lucky, successful people are not lucky. You are your daily routine! Have you fallen into a cycle of negative habits and behaviors that will compound and ripple effect into obesity, broken relationships, poverty, unhappiness, fear and bad health?

YOU have the power to change these things. Start taking responsibility by first looking at where you are at! You can never get better if you don't first recognize what you need to change.

 I truly believe that everyone can have a moment like I did around four years ago, when I basically snapped, and was like "What the hell! I'm just gonna challenge myself!" And promptly bought and completed the Insanity fitness program from Beachbody. That action alone for me has propelled me into countless successes like losing 20 pounds, being mentored by my first beach body coach then becoming one myself! BUT, just becoming a coach didn't fix all my problems, in fact it revealed a lot! It revealed that I have a lot of work to do with loving myself, because truly being a Beachbody coach is really at it's basis, committing to "The Ultimate Accountability Membership". In fact, in the last six months, I have done more introspective looking at myself & realizing how much negative self talk I still entertain on the daily. If I really am what I repeatedly do, then I know that I must change. Because I know that who else I am is a daughter of the king of the universe! And this princess has no business talking shit about herself, putting crap in her bod because she "had an emotional day" or letting others pull her down! So, the BEFORE & AFTER that this blog post started with, is really such a chronicle, with so much behind the photos. The girl on the right, the current me-- struggles with major perfectionism, fear of disappointing people, and the basic human struggle of wanting to eat a friggin cream filled doughnut rather then that red bell pepper 

I just hope that by this meandering story I've painted a picture that there is no reason why you have to be stuck where you are right now! If you look at the things you're doing daily, those things have made you what you are right now. Then it follows that you can start doing new and better things daily that add up to amazing exponential success if you will practice them daily, consistently and continually!

Remember, continue to struggle, don't give up. I learned a lot in these last two years of being a Beachbody coach and if you feel this, my story resonating with you, you may be a perfect fit to be coached by me in my upcoming fitness challenge or start helping others while you engage in the "Ultimate Accountability membership" as a Beachbody coach yourself! If you'd like to start talking about your story and see how I can help you start moving towards the success in your health and fitness specifically, email me at consijoyfitness@gmail.com, or fill out an application to be considered to be coached by me www.tinyurl.com/TribeThreeFitnessChallenge. 

May your day be filled with positive & powerful actions, and may your life be filled with the success that those actions bring! Happy transformation Tuesday and I pray that every day you will watch yourself transform into more of the person that God made you to be! 

Thank you for reading my blog and be blessed 🏼️

Cheers, Constance Joy! 

I love CHOCOLATE AND PROTEIN AND BARS!!! Family recipe for you!

Mama Bernier's Magnificent Ghirardelli glazed protein bars

All measurements are approximate

1 1/2 cups coconut oil

1 cup coconut sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup butter milk curds

1/2 cup nutritional Brewers yeast 

1 Cup hemp hearts

1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes

1/2 cup chia seeds (blended into finer powder) 

1 Cup oat bran

1 cup wheat germ

 Blend the wet ingredients first, then dry ingredients, then place on parchment paper in a cookie sheet with lip, use spatula and make into one large bar the size of the pan or 3 columns. 

Then bake at 325°F for 45 minutes or until not squishy aka done a.k.a. a knife inserted comes out clean.

If anyone makes these and followed my directions and they come out awesome, someone needs to take a photo and tag me in it. 

 Then, see photos, basically use your common sense and another baking sheet to put one on top of the pan that just got out of the oven then flip it over so you have a very flat surface to put all the chocolate, then let  the chocolate melt and spread it evenly and let dry. Then chop into desired size of bars and wrapped with plastic wrap after chocolate has hardened. 

ENJOY!!!

We're not "big boned". We just had big excuses.

#transformationTuesday 

Mom and Daughter 

My mom roped me in to do the old fashioned, original "Step aerobics" with her starting when I was 12 years old, in Kapaau. Hawaii. 

Little did I know that by that she helped me ingrain the love and habit of exercise into my very core and begun the ripple effect into my destiny. 

Although the consistent exercise was good, it was not enough. We would always talk about how frustrated we were with the fact that our genetics did not help with our fluffy 25 to 40 pounds overweightness and our tendency to hold a lot of stomach fat. But, we would always make excuses that "we're big bones" or "we're just strong".

#truthBeToldTuesday The Truth is we were too addicted to chocolate, and used food as comfort rather than fuel. We wanted the bodies of our dreams but we were more into making excuses. We would say, "we eat healthy, we eat veggies" but really, our eating was out of balance and we were eating way too much. 

We started at a gym together about seven years ago and our weight would go up and down and up and down. We continued to be frustrated, but the good news was we continued to solidify the habit of consistent exercise! 

Finally, at different times we decided enough was enough. No more yo-yoing. I decided to challenge myself with Insanity, my first Beachbody program.

Little did I know that that one action of me challenging myself with insanity would have a ripple effect of my entire family becoming Shakeology superfood drinkers & breaking out of the generational bonds of over eating and eating for comfort. I also had no idea it would lead to an amazing career of Beachbody coaching, paying forward the love and challenge of body mind spirit fitness to everyone I come in contact with! 

On the left, 3 years ago, I weighed roughly 25 pounds more and was walking around at about a size 10/12. My mom was a large size 12. 

On the right, just two weeks ago is me at size 4/6 and my mom...who just found that small and medium clothes were fitting her in the dressing room!!! 

Now, with daily accountability, Shakeology every day, correct portions and at home fitness DVDs, my mom and I have transformed our bodies and our continuing to every day!

NEVER GIVE UP. Specifically for you beautiful women who think that you have tried everything and that there is no way you can have the body of your dreams and feel vibrant and alive like you want to, I'm telling you you CAN!!! I have overcome and I am still overcoming every day. Do you just hate what you see in the mirror because your clothes don't fit but you know that you are so much more!!??? Dude, message me.

 I help people get results. I help people transform their lives and I want to help you.

My next 30 day wellness challenge launches on April 27, next Monday. Are you going to transform your life?➡️ consijoyfitness@gmail.com